Adventures with Ester (part 1)

I'm exhausted.
I'm out of sorts.
I'm wondering what I can get done while she's sleeping.
I'm wondering how long she'll sleep.

On the other hand, she loves to burrow in the crook of my arm, and settle in like it's the perfect place for her.  When she whined in the middle of the night, I got on the floor with my pillow and she nestled on my arm and went fast to sleep.

Oh to be needed again.

Then came shower time this morning.  Thinking that locking her in the bathroom with me was a good idea, I proceeded to hop into our walk in shower.  Ester watched, and enjoyed the spray coming out on the floor.  Not satisfied with that, she waltzed right into the shower with me as if it was the most natural thing in the world. God love her.  As cute as it was, pack leader mentality kicked in, and I spent the next ten minutes training her to stay out.

All kinds of fun.

And it's only day two.

Tomorrow, you're only a day away!

Tomorrow our lives are all going to change.  For the better.

Except for the cats.  They're about to have a really long vacation in the cat lair, if I can predict anything.

E-dog will arrive around 11:30 and I also predict I'll be a bit like a first time mom.  How do I hold her? Can I feed her this way? How often should she go out?  Is it ok if she....and on and on it goes.

Puppy parenting isn't for the faint of heart.
And puppy parenting a future Seeing Eye dog is only for the very brave, I'm discovering.
Today I finished reading the 100+ page manual that tells me all the things we need to do or not do in the next year.  My head just exploded a little- alright-, a lot.  If she were our dog, we could blow it on the training and live with the consequences.  She's not our dog, and therein lies the difference.  The foundation is expecting us to do certain things that will manifest in her being ready to move on to phase two of her training.  Can you feel the pressure I'm under?

It's like that age old question: "How do you eat an elephant?"  "One bite at a time".  There's comfort in this truth.  I'm overwhelmed by this manual that tells me all the things I must strive towards in the next year with her.  Of course it's good to have goals but when you try to take them on all at once, it's bound to weigh you down.  So for now, I will pray my way through this (as I should) and learn to take it one day at a time.  For this here planner, it's going to be a tough lesson to learn- to take each moment, each hour and each day slowly.

I will fail, I know this.  There will be many times that she won't make it outside in time, and it will be my fault.  She will find some crumb of food that she's not to have, and it will be my fault.  She will chew on a piece of furniture when I've turned my back, and I'll be to blame.

But she will succeed too, and those moments will surpass all the failures, the trials and the stress.

I can't wait to begin this adventure tomorrow.

She's coming soon!

There's just something about a puppy for Christmas that melts my heart.
As in the real mushy, almost in tears, melt my heart.  That new puppy smell, the big belly, all of it combined to be one ginormous package of LOVE.  I feel like a kid.

"She" is the 7 week old black lab that's been bred to be a Seeing Eye dog.  A working dog, in no uncertain terms.  A dog that will be the eyes for a blind person.  A dog that will be freedom for one that is saddled with a disability.  A dog that will be accepting of this person because they only know to love, not judge.

"She" will be ours to love, train and socialize for the next year or so, until which time she heads off to the next phase of her training.  We're all in this, humans AND cats- although the felines have no idea what's about to hit them.  Can't say I'm envious.

Dogs are unique pets in that they give unconditional love.  Cats could care less if you're around, as long as you give them food and a nice place to rest, they're good with life.  But dogs demand our attention, our love and our patience.  A puppy demands even more.

I love the idea that all this love and effort we're going to invest in her will be of some greater good for another person.  Animals have this amazing capacity to change people's lives, and we want to be a part of that for someone else.  My kids need to understand that it's not about us.  Teaching them to love and serve others is easier said than done.  For the next year we'll be living out the verse "And above all things have fervent love for one another" (1 Peter 4:8) and it will take much prayer as we endeavor to love this person we don't even know, as we raise their future seeing eye dog.

And yes, it will be tough, very tough to give her up at the end of our time with her.  It's amazing that almost every person I've spoken to about this, comments on that ONE fact.  "It would be so hard to give it back" they say.  As if this should keep us from serving in the first place?   What would my children learn if every lesson in life was an easy one?   My children  need to understand that we give because we have been given much.  It's that simple.

Christmas time is the perfect time to remember that principle.  How paws-itively timely!

Revisiting Adventureland

"We also glory in tribulations, KNOWING that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."  (Romans 5:3-4)

I love this verse.  What I love about it, is the declaration that we already have "insider information" to what we will attain when we go through trials.  Doesn't that bring you comfort?  To know that when a trial comes, even if you don't know the particular outcome of your situation, you KNOW that if you are a child of God, that he will give you perseverance, and that perseverance will turn into character, and that character hope.  Sit on that for a moment.  When was the last time you realized that your God will supply you with all the perseverance you could need to endure the trial you're facing?  Have you ever met a person going through a difficult time that would turn down perseverance?  Yet so often we ignore this truth- that if we give God the glory to do his work in us while we're facing difficulty, we will receive the blessing of perseverance.  Oh God, that that might NEVER be me!

While I in no means would choose to go through another hurricane/freak storm, I am so thankful for the opportunity to be sanctified.  My patience is thin some days, I take for granted the luxuries I have, and I rely too heavily on myself.  Nine days without power can test anyone's patience.  In the big scheme of things, no lights, no TV, no oven/stove/dishwasher/laundry is really nothing.  People get by on much less, all the time in this world.  My own ability doesn't get me very far in these instances- I can't command the power to come back, and I can't turn water into wine.  However, there is one who can, and it's only by His grace we endured.

I find it rather ironic that He can take something away, and in return be given much more.  No power for all that time and yet, we were blessed in so many ways:

-Prayers from family and friends all over.
-A chance to escape to my folks who welcomed us last minute.
-Neighbors checking in on one another and taking care of each other.
-Finding gas easily in Connecticut, and bringing it back for those in need.
-Finding a generator when it appeared we wouldn't.
-Reconnecting as a family.
-Watching our children take on helpful attitudes.
-Seeing God answer prayer.
-Not feeling deprived or upset, just relishing the abundance of what we DO have.
-Realizing AGAIN, that it's NOT ABOUT THE STUFF, but about the people.

No trial is too small to bring to mind this scripture, next time you're facing one.  You can KNOW this- your trial produces perseverance, then character, then hope.

Be blessed-

Hanging out

We just finished an extended visit with Nelson's family down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I love that place.  Nothing but relaxation, and fun on the beach.  Throw in lots of family time too, and it made for a fabulous week.

Nelson's sister lives in Africa with her family, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to those on the islands of Lake Victoria.  Our visits with them are precious, as we only get to see them every three to five years.  Even though the cousins are a variety of ages, they didn't let that hinder their ability to hang out together.

Last night, we were able to share our home with them, and sit for a spell while having a nice meal.  The kids of course, zip lined, and in between everyone (almost everyone) weeded a large patch of our backyard- how awesome is that?  "Many hands make light work"!

I'm so grateful for the two independent visits, each unique and fun in their own way.  Our home has been made sweeter with the visit of family.

Paper plates

There have been some pretty amazing inventions over the years.  Some have made things possible for the first time, and others have made life easier.

I'm here to thank the person who invented the paper plate.  That's right.  The good old don't-have-to-wash-it-just-throw-it-in-the-trash invention.  BRILLIANT.

Especially when my two month old dishwasher decided to go kaputz.  Normally I don't mind hand washing dishes  TOO much, but another week's worth?  Forget it.  Madge and her palmolive can become BFF with someone else.

Did I just date myself?

Beyond blessed

Over a year ago, when we were home shopping, I stepped into this house and knew instantly it was THE ONE.  We women just have a knack.

I'd commented to Nelson at that time that we could have huge parties in this house and it will feel roomy.

Again, we women have a knack.

Yesterday, I opened up our home for a family reunion.  All 40 of us fit beautifully inside.  The only ones brave enough to endure the heat and humidity were the "younger" contingent.  They didn't care what the weather was, as long as they could use the zip line.

This is exactly what I had hoped for this home; that it would be a gathering place for family and friends.   For one brief afternoon, my home was filled with the laughter and voices of people I don't see often enough.  The opportunity to connect again was delightful, and reminded me of why we gather in the first place.

My extended family are dear people.  Many of them are pastors and pastor's wives.  They know how to love, and listen and they genuinely care for each other.  None of us are getting any younger, and so the need for these gatherings while the older set is still able, is very important.  It was apparent to me that my aunt in particular, relished the chance to see so many of us.  The hug goodbye lasted a bit longer and was a little bit tighter when I saw her off.  At the end of the day, that's when I know it was successful.

A year ago, I was blessed to find this house.  Yesterday, I was beyond blessed to have it full of family.